Fleeson was the first female syndicated columnist, and worked for the New York Daily News for 34 years. Because she had worked in flashy tabloid journalism before, she knew how to write a gripping lead that made people want to read more. She started her career in police reporting, and believed that was the best way to learn how politics work.
As a political columnist, Fleeson wrote stinging criticisms of government leaders. She was known for her concise writing style that conveyed a lot of information in limited space, and amazed her colleagues with her sharply analytical mind. She was also a feminist, and hated the sexism that surrounded her in the male world of politics and journalism, where she was often talked down to or ignored. But the quality of her writing made her hard to ignore, and she won the respect of male journalists.
Fleeson used her column as a way to protest injustice as well as to discuss politics. She used her popularity and influence to advocate women's rights everywhere, from the lack of women's restrooms in Congress to women being excluded from all-male political clubs. She encouraged women to write, and personally mentored young female journalists.
Besides writing, Fleeson helped fight for a minimum wage for all reporters, helped to found the Guild of New York Newspaper Men and Women, and sponsored the first black journalist who wanted to be a member in the Women's National Press Club. She was a war correspondent for the Women's Home Companion and worked in radio, but mostly she wrote political columns that were famous for their harsh words and brilliant thoughts. Her criticisms made people think, and demand governmental change.
Fleeson was known for her short columns that said a lot, and her opening paragraphs which drew readers in. Practice editing your writing and see how many extra words and sentences you can take out. Many times, writers write too much, and lose their point. Fleeson made her point clearly and briefly. Make an argument for something, and then go over it again to see if you can shorten it and make your writing more powerful. The clearer your argument, the easier it is for people to understand and remember it. Sometimes one well-written paragraph can have more impact than a whole article.